The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions
by Sula 74
Summary: Time travel. Sakura gets sent back to Konoha prior to the third shinobi war. Sakura/Sakumo pairing. I'm not sure where this is going, but I'm open to suggestions.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

I've had the first 2-3 chapters bouncing around in my head for a while now, especially the second chapter. I figured I'd write it down and see if it goes anywhere. This is my first time travel fiction and it seems like there should be more planning involved. So I have a beginning, and I think I have an end, but no idea what will happen in the middle. I'm open to suggestions. Also open to constructive criticism. I let Kakashi keep his Sharingon and took some liberties with what it can do.

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Kakashi struggled to pull himself up, flailing with limbs which didn't want to work, instinctively keeping low, using the bushes he had landed in for cover. He was near his endpoint. He had one, maybe two, good jutsu left in him and then...well, he'd better make those jutsu count. He had lost track of his team in the explosion. Were they dead? Was he the last one? Again? He swore to always protect his comrades, and once again he'd failed. He shook his head, hands clutching his hair as he tried to get himself together. Deep breaths. Breaths which somehow made his head swim even more. He squinted out into the battlefield, willing his vision to clear. Trees swam in and out of focus, one second a green and brown blur, the next coming into sharp focus, only to fade back.

He saw a sandaled foot sticking out from the bushes about one hundred feet to his left, the rest of the body obscured. Sandals, not boots. Not Sakura. Who then? Alive or dead? He couldn't tell from here, his vision again betraying him. He grabbed the base of the bush in one hand, pushing off the ground with the other to get his feet under him, but the effort was too much. The rushing noise in his ears crescendoed into an all-consuming roar as the world spun and then went black.

He couldn't have been out long. He heard a rumble, felt vibrations in the ground. Not an explosion. An earth jutsu. Or maybe a certain kunoichi capable of cracking boulders and opening crevices in the ground with her bare fists. Maybe. Whatever it was, at least one of his team was still alive. Still fighting. Kakashi closed his eyes and listened. The forest was quiet, all the wildlife having fled or hidden in their burrows at the first signs of battle. A breeze rustled through the surrounding trees. Then something else. The sounds of someone running. They were going all out, snapping tree branches and sending loose rocks flying, valuing speed and distance over stealth. He heard the runner pause at the edge of the blast zone, then divert their way around it, staying in the trees. Suddenly, Sakura dropped to the ground behind their fallen comrade, dragging him further under cover. Kakashi could see her doing a quick assessment of injuries, watching for enemies as she did so, and then start a healing jutsu. Alive then. But for how long? Kakashi could feel the chakra of the jutsu, which meant the enemy could, too. And they were sure to be close behind on Sakura's trail. That she was trying to heal him now and not carry him away to safety meant the injuries were critical, maybe mortal.

Kakashi felt Sakura's chakra flare, faintly heard her talking to the body she was working on before sinking back on her heels, the green glow fading from her hands. She slouched dejectedly for a moment before going through her dead companion's pockets, not wanting to leave anything on him that could be used by their enemies. She then reached up and gently slipped the head band off his head, wrapping the cloth around the metal Konoha insignia before gently placing it in her bag. She ran a hand quickly over her eyes and started to stand. Before she was fully on her feet, two shinobi dropped from the trees on either side of her. Two more stepped from the bushes behind her, cutting off her escape. Just then the three who had been pursuing her showed themselves, leaving her surrounded. Seven against one. The shinobi were all chunin level or above, the newcomers fresh and strong, while Sakura was exhausted and had to be running low on chakra. Kakashi's heart raced, his mind trying to keep up with it. This was it. They were going to kill her. Kill her, or take her hostage. His teammate. His student. The one he was supposed to protect. He had to save her. Had to keep her away from them. He couldn't watch another teammate die. He wouldn't.

He cursed silently. The targets were too close to Sakura to take out with a large-scale jutsu. He'd end up killing her along with them. There were too many for him to take on, even with her help. He could take out one, maybe two, before he'd be dead from chakra drain, but maybe that could give her a chance to escape. But he knew her. He knew that once she realized he was there, she wouldn't run. She would stay and fight. She wouldn't leave her comrade behind. Not even him.

He watched as they started to close in on her. She had a kunai drawn and was preparing to fight. She would take a few of them out with her, but ultimately the fight could only go one way.

He had to get her out of here. Had to give her a chance to escape. To get some place safe. Two had their backs to him, and all were focused on Sakura. He drew two kunai silently from his pouch, throwing one, then the other, hearing them land squarely in the backs of his enemies. He started gathering the last remnants of his chakra as chaos broke out in front of him. His head swam and his eyes watered as he prepared his kamui, feeling his grip on consciousness slipping even as he felt the chakra building in his system. He had to choose a target. Choose one to take out of her way. Out of here. Get them out of here. His eye focused on Sakura, locked in a taijutsu battle with two of them. He had to save her. Had to get her out of here. Had to get her somewhere safe. Back to Konoha. He had to get her there. He had to send her someplace safe. He opened his eye wide and released the power of the Mangyeko Sharingon on his teammate.

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Sakura pushed more of her chakra into her comrade's body even as she felt his heartbeat flutter and grow erratic. She had plugged up all the internal injuries that were causing him to bleed out, but she couldn't make the red blood cells regenerate fast enough. It was over, at least for him, and there were still at least two rogue ninja on her tail. She collected the personal effects of the fallen ninja, wiped the sweat and tears out of her eyes, and stood up. Kakashi had to be around here somewhere. He had been caught in the blast with Kaede, she was sure of it. She had covered half of the perimeter of the blast zone when she found Kaede, Kakashi should be somewhere in the other half. She could do it, she could find him before the missing nin did. Just as she was about to take to the tree tops again, two missing nin dropped to the ground on either side of her. She cursed, drawing a kunai and gathering her chakra in her foot, preparing to cause a little earthquake to knock them off their feet, when she felt two more chakra signatures behind her. She was surrounded, and she had no idea what the capabilities of the newcomers were. They had to be strong to even think of taking on her on. She slowly turned in a circle, kunai ready, eying up each of her new foes. As she turned, she was a movement in the bushes, followed by the dull thud of a kunai burying into flesh. Then another. Kakashi. She barely had time to smile in relief as she used the momentary confusion to throw her own kunai, hitting her closest assailant in the thigh. The fight was on, two on her while two went to search for their hidden assailant. She saw the ninja she had hit with the kunai on the ground making hand signs, looking in the direction Kakashi was hidden. She jumped in his direction, kicking out as she landed, missing his head but managing to kick him in the arm, stopping the jutsu and sending him flying. She turned to face her original two opponents when she felt a sudden lurch in her stomach, like her insides were trying to fold in on themselves. The world blurred and seemed to rotate, and she felt a tremendous pull in her abdomen, a twisting sensation of drawing in. She tried to move out of the pull but it was too late. She new what was happening. She was caught in Kakashi's Kamui. There was no escape.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** So, another chapter. I'm pretty sure this is going to be a Sakura/Sakumo romance, and only partly because the pairing will be called Sakusaku. I'm still not sure what will happen here. I have the first few chapters and then the final scene in my head. I've got lots of internal conflict planned out, but it seems like there should be some external conflict, too. I'm open to suggestions, recommendations, and criticism, so long as it's constructive.

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Sakura landed hard on her back, panting hard and fighting back nausea. She heard a high-pitched scream nearby, somewhere off to her right. She rolled onto her stomach and drew herself up into a crouch, looking right into the eyes of a little boy sitting against a tree. A little boy who was now standing up and yelling for his dad. This wasn't the Kamui dimension. Kakashi must have realized he had trapped her in it and stopped the jutsu. Or their enemies had stopped him from completing it. So where was she?

She stood on shaky feet, wobbling a moment before trying to put on a reassuring smile for the little boy. She had to get him to stop yelling before he gave away their position. She was just about to open her mouth to say something reassuring to him when the ground beneath her erupted, knocking her off-balance right before five large dogs sank their teeth into her, pinning her against the nearest tree. She felt their teeth sinking into the flesh of her arms and legs, one small dog hanging off of her hand, effectively preventing her from making hand signs. She tried to shake it off but that only made the small dog hold on tighter, growling as it tightened it's jaws around delicate bones. What was going on? This was Kakashi's jutsu, but these weren't Kakashi's dogs. At least, not his regular pack. She didn't know these dogs. None looked familiar to her.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stay still, not reacting even when the little one hanging on her hand adjusted his teeth for a better grip. She didn't want to fight these dogs and take the chance of hurting one, plus, she'd probably lose anyway. The little boy was closer now, yelling something that she couldn't make out over the growling in her ears. Close enough to possibly get hurt if she did manage to break the pack's grip and tried to fight these dogs off. Maybe she could reason with them.

"Hey guys, I think there's been a mistake. It's me. It's Sakura. I'm am friend of Kakashi's."

At the sound of Kakashi's name the pack reacted, its collective jaws tightening, the small one twisting in the air as it worried her hand with renewed vigor. Not what she had hoped for.

Just then saw movement in the forest, a familiar gray-haired figure running toward her at top speed. Thank god! She was so relieved she didn't even question why Tsunade was with him, blonde hair streaming behind her as they both ran toward her.

"Kakashi-se-" the words were cut off by the pressure of a fist at her throat. Kakashi glared at her, a cold, calculating look she had only seen him give to enemies in battle, right before he killed them. But something was different. His mask was down. Not down, gone. And he was staring at her with two gray eyes. No Sharingan.

"Kakashi-" she started again, hating how small her voice sounded, how uncertain.

"What do want with Kakashi?" He asked, increasing the pressure on her throat as the dog holding her right arm growled and tightened it's grip.

"Wha? No, Nothing! I, uh, I.." Sakura stammered, her mind searching desperately for the right thing to say in this situation where everything was wrong. Kakashi and Tsunade fighting against her. Was it a genjutsu? It had to be. The missing nin must have stopped Kakashi's Kamui and then placed her under a genjutsu while she was disoriented. It didn't feel like a genjutsu, but there was no other explanation. She bit her lip, hard, hoping to dispel it with pain. Nothing happened. Maybe because this was a rather painful genjutsu already. The caster must be very powerful. Even Kurenai-sensei couldn't maintain a painful genjutsu for long. Sakura took a deep, calming breath and started drawing her chakra in. She was about to let it surge forth, trying to raise her hand and shout "kai" at the same time when she was punched in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

"Don't try that again."

Sakura looked up into the cold, dead eyes of this new, strange Kakashi. Vaguely she was aware of the crying of the little boy in the distance, but most of her senses were tuned to the man in front of her. The man who looked like Kakashi, but couldn't be. There were differences. She had seen Kakashi without his mask, and this wasn't him. The face was a little fuller, the jaw a bit more square. The eyes were wrong. The hair was wrong. The uniform was wrong. This wasn't Kakashi, but who was it? A clone? A Henge? What about Tsunade? Sakura cast a quick glance over at her mentor, who had grabbed the little boy and was now holding him protectively in her arms while glaring at Sakura. Her clothes were different too. She was too far away to see her other features clearly, except for her chest. That looked about the same. When she flicked her eyes back to the imposter Kakashi before her, she saw one of his eyebrows arch up.

"There's nothing over there for you. Your mission is over. Failed. Keep your eyes on me. I'm all you have to worry about now."

"Mission?" Sakura asked, surprised into speaking. "What mission? What do you think I'm doing here?"

Just then another person dropped from the trees. It looked like...but it couldn't be. It couldn't be Jiraiya.

"How about you let me ask the questions, hmm?"

Same booming voice. Same long white hair hanging down his back. Same mole. The red lines at the corner of his eyes were shorter. And he looked...younger. A lot younger. Almost as young as Tsunade.

Jiraiya approached Kakashi and clapped him on the shoulder. Sakura felt the fingers around her neck tighten reflexively at the sudden contact.

"All's clear. No signs of anyone else. Orochimaru's got his snakes searching the forest but I don't think they'll find anything. Looks like she's working alone."

Orochimaru? Sakura froze, scanning the forest before her as best she could with an angry fist at her throat. She caught a movement to her left and then there he was.. In front of her. Orochimaru. Pale. So Pale. Long, dark hair. Reptilian eyes.

"I see my reputation precedes me." Orochimaru smirked, coming around into her full view.

Sakura tore her eyes away from Orochimaru, but it was difficult. Almost as difficult as it was to return her gaze to the imposter Kakashi standing before her. The one who's fingers kept their tight grip on her neck.

Jiraiya stepped forward and assessed their prisoner. And then kept on assessing her. Sakura huffed and rolled her eyes. Pervert.

"Well, Sakumo, looks like we've caught a fiesty one!" Jiraiya laughed, clapping the man on the back again.

Sakumo? Who was he talking about? Sakura looked, but there was no one else in sight. Sakumo? She knew that name. Everyone knew about Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's White Fang, father of Hatake Kakashi. Everyone also knew that Sakumo was dead. As dead as Jiraiya. And if that was Sakumo, then was the little boy...

Sakura closed her eyes, wanting to shut out the world for just a minute. She was so confused. She needed to think, to process. Something was going on here and she would figure it out, if she could just get a minute to gather her thoughts without a Kakashi impersonator waiting to tear her apart with his strange dogs.


	3. Chapter 3

Sakumo/Kakashi/clone/henge/figment-of-a-genjutsu-addled-mind gave a soft order to the dogs to release her while grabbing her wrist and spinning her, pinning her face-first to the tree, one hand twisted tightly against her back. Sakura's hatai-ate was unceremoniously pulled off of her head and then dangled next to her face.

"Where did you get this?"

'The same place you did, at my graduation from the Konoha Ninja Academy!" Sakura snapped, incensed that anyone should think her an enemy of Konoha.

Sakumo leaned in closer to her, pressing her into the tree, adding a little more pressure against the arm bent behind her. "Your story isn't going to hold up, and you know it, so why don't you just tell us the truth now and save T&amp;I the trouble of formally interrogating you?" he asked softly, his reasonable tone almost disguising the ominous meaning of his words.

All of the fight went out of her, and she rested her head against the tree as she realized this was really happening. Somehow, this was happening. It wasn't a genjutsu, it wasn't a clever and complex trap laid by any enemy to trick her . She was the enemy. She was an unknown ninja surrounded by strangers in a village where no one would recognize her. The village she had sacrificed so much for, had risked her life for, wouldn't even know her name. Torture and Interrogation loomed in her future, but that thought was pushed to the back of her mind by an sudden, oppressive feeling of loneliness. She had no one. No one to reach out to, no one to help her, no one to even acknowledge her as a Konoha shinobi or a friend. She felt the pain of it in her chest, like a weight on her heart that was growing with each breath, pressing against her lungs, making it harder to breathe. Her throat felt tight, achingly tight, as if Sakumo's hand was still around her neck and squeezing, squeezing harder until she was choking and gasping for breath.

"Crying isn't going to help you, and neither is a panic attack."

Sakura opened her eyes and glared at what she could see of Hatake Sakumo in her peripheral vision. He still had a firm grip on the arm twisted behind her back, but he had backed off of her a bit, giving her room to breathe, standing slightly to the side to watch her face dispassionately as she struggled to get control of herself. It was that distant, clinical look that snapped Sakura back to her senses. She belonged to the Leaf Village, and no other Leaf shinobi had any right to look at her that way! These were her comrades, and she would make them see that. Somehow.

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A/N: I write sooooo slooowlyyyyy. Sorry for the mini mini update, but I figured I'd throw it up here because, well, it's all i have right now. Don't worry, this will NOT be a wimpy Sakura story, she's just having a tough time in these few paragraphs.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: A bigger update to make up for the last itsy-bitsy teenie-weenie one. Thank you for all of the reviews! MegamiTsunami, thanks for pointing those things out! I was planning to cover them all in the next chapter or so, I just write slowly and haven't gotten to it yet! But thanks for watching out for me and I'll appreciate it if you or anyone else catches me in a slip up or has any suggestions to improve the story.

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Sakura went willingly when she was brought to one of the larger trees and tied to it, the rope wrapped tight around her, binding her arms and upper body the trunk. She watched complacently as her medic apron and weapon pouches were taken away and tossed to Jiraiya and Orochimaru. She calmly stated her name, rank, and ninja registration number when asked for them, not reacting when Sakumo scoffed at her, telling her that her village did a poor job of preparing her to pass for a Konoha nin since registration numbers didn't go that high. She was about to tell him that they didn't go that high _yet _when Jiraiya called out Sakumo's name, his voice grim. In his hands he held the hitai-ate she had taken from Kaede and stashed in her apron, intending to return it to his family.

Sakumo didn't move from his spot in front of Sakura, sparing Jiraiya a brief glance and then returning his attention to her, his gaze hard and accusing.

"It belonged to my teammate. We were ambushed. I...I tried to save him, but his injuries were too severe. I wanted to give that to his next of kin."

Sakumo stared at her a moment longer, then called one of his dogs over. He held Sakura's hitai-ate out to the dog, who sniffed it carefully and thoroughly before gingerly taking it between his teeth and carrying it over to Jiraiya to collect the other one.. The two hitai-ate hanging from its mouth, the dog trotted back over to its pack mates.

Jiraiya tossed Sakura's remaining possessions aside and stepped up to stand next to Sakumo. "Why don't I continue the interrogation and you go take care of Kakashi-kun?"

Sakumo didn't move for a minute, then took a deep breath, seemingly trying to relax his body before nodding at Jiraiya and turning to walk toward Tsunade and Kakashi. Kakashi was still in Tsunade's arms, head leaning against her shoulder. Sakura wasn't sure from this distance, but she thought he might be sucking his thumb. When he saw Sakumo approaching, arms out as though to take him from Tsunade, Kakashi threw his arms around her neck and buried his face in her chest, shaking his head and kicking his feet, obviously not wanting to go to him. Sakura turned her eyes away from the sight of her future sensei motorboating her future Hokage and saw Jiraiya heave a sigh and start toward them, telling Orochimaru to keep an eye on the prisoner. Left alone with Orochimaru, Sakura decided it was best not to make eye contact, so she watched as Jiraiya approached the group, calling out Kakashi's name in his big, jocular voice and waving his hands. Kakashi peeked out from the safety of Tsunade's bosom, staring but not objecting as the big man lifted him into his arms. Jiraiya said something to Sakumo, pointing with his chin in the direction of Sakura's tree, and carried Kakashi off to the side, sitting on a fallen log with the little boy still clinging to him tightly.

If possible, Sakumo looked to be in an even worse mood when he made his way back to Sakura. He and Orochimaru conferred quietly before Orochimaru took off into the trees, leaving her alone with Sakumo, who stepped in to loom over her.

"ANBU are on their way, they'll take custody of you and bring you to Torture and Interrogation after we've finished out field interrogation."

Sakura met his gaze, keeping the eye contact for a few seconds before giving a sharp nod. She was a loyal citizen of Konoha. She had nothing to be apprehensive about. She would have faith in her village and her fellow Leaf shinobi.

"I'll tell you everything I can, answer any question I'm able to." Sakura stated firmly.

"Anything you can?" Sakumo repeated, one eyebrow rising a little.

Sakura nodded in eager affirmation. "Yes, of course, anything."

"And what kinds of things 'can't' you tell me? Things like which village you're from and what your mission here is?"

"No! No no no! That's not what I meant! I meant I want to give you my full cooperation! There are just some things I won't be able to answer. I have questions too! I have no idea how I got here, or when, or how I'll get back!"

"Get back to where?" Sakumo interjected quickly.

"Back...to my team, I guess. We were on a mission. Near the Suna border. We were on our way back when we were ambushed by a large group of missing-nin. I not sure what happened after that. How I ended up back in Konoha."

"Or when?"

"Huh?" Sakura looked at him, confused. Had she given something away? Had he figured out what she suspected?

"You said you had no idea when you got here. Were you in Konoha previous to your attempted attack on my son?"

"What?! No! I didn't try to attack Kakashi! I would never! He's...he's just a child." Sakura's voice trailed off. She still thought of Kakashi as her sensei, and she had almost said so. She wanted to cooperate, she just wasn't sure what she should say.

She drew a determined breath and met Sakumo's eyes. "Leaf shinobi don't kill their comrades. Or their comrade's children."

"And you're a Leaf shinobi, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Right."

"OK then, Konoha jounin Haruno Sakura, why don't you tell me you parent's names and we'll go get them and clear this up?" Sakumo held his notepad and pencil as if ready to take some notes.

Sakura took a deep breath. She would have to tell him. She had no choice. "their names are Kizashi and Mebuki."

"And their address?"

"I...I don't know."

"You don't know? Or your mission planner didn't provide you with enough background story? Or are you making this up as you go along?"

"No, I just...don't remember."

"Amnesia?"

"I...I" Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, frustrated and not sure what to say. How far back into the past did she go? How old were her parents? Had they met yet? She cast a glance at Jiraiya, who looked so young. And at Kakashi, who looked _really _young. How old was he now? Four? Five? She was never good at guessing ages. How old was he really? Thirty-something. She couldn't remember exactly. She could extrapolate her parents ages based on a rough estimate of Kakashi's...

"You what?" Sakumo demanded.

Sakura wavered a bit, still caught in her indecision, She took a fortifying breath and looked determinedly at Sakumo. "If you can tell me what year this is, I might be able to tell you where to find my parents."

Sakumo's eyebrows rose slightly, then quickly lowered to form a stern line over his eyes. "So it's going to be the amnesia route, is it? You're not making this any easier on yourself."

"No, it's not that." Sakura said earnestly. "It's just - " She hesitated, not sure how best to say it. She still wasn't completely sure she should say it, but she was out of options. She drew a deep breath and tried to keep her voice steady. "The last time I saw little Kakashi-kun over there, he was a man in his thirties, a jounin, and a team captain. So you can see why I'm a little confused about what year this is."

Now Sakumo's brows really drew down. Sakura found herself distantly thinking that, aside from the hair, Kakashi most resembled his father around the eyes, but maybe that was just because it was the only part of his face she saw with any regularity. But he definitely had his father's eyes, dark gray and very expressive. She had gotten quite good at reading Kakashi's emotions through that single exposed eye over the past years, and now with an entire face to look at, it was easy to see the fleeting emotions passing over Sakumo's countenance now, even though the seasoned shinobi was by no means demonstrative. Still, she could see the shock and mild confusion as he glanced back at Kakashi then quickly back at Sakura, followed by disbelief, which hardened back into the stern professionalism of an interrogating officer under duress. But underneath it all (underneath the underneath) she thought she caught a flicker of happiness, maybe even joy.

Sakumo, regaining his composition quickly, gave her a hard look. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not sure how it happened, but I think...I think I got sent back through time." That sounded better than _I've come from the future_ right? Less like something out of a late-night B-movie? More believable? Not that shinobi had any reason to doubt something _could _happen. They lived in a world where people summoned talking animals from other planes, where demons were split up into new demons and then sealed within living hosts, and where battles could take place in other dimensions . Why not time travel?


	5. Chapter 5

"So you've come from the future?" Sakumo asked, his voice flat, giving nothing away.

"I think so. Or maybe an alternate universe? Another dimension?" Sakura cast a quick glance at little Kakashi sitting on Jiraiya's lap. "But even if this is a different dimension or alternate universe, I've also gone back in time, that much I'm sure of. Unless it's all a genjutsu, but I"m doubting that more and more." Sakura bit her lip, hard, drawing blood. She looked around. Kakashi look-alike still ready to kill her. Dead Sannin still sitting on a log, toddler sensei sitting on his lap. Nothing had changed. "If it's a genjutsu, I really hope the caster is on my side."

Sakumo didn't react to Sakura's weak attempt at humor. "I'm sure we could arrange for some stronger stimuli to test out your genjutsu theory."

"I'm sure you could." Sakura replied lamely. "I think I've mostly ruled that one out on my own, though. Thanks."

"So that leaves time travel or dimensional travel?"

"It is possible. I know it sounds crazy, but with the right time-space jutsu..."

"It doesn't sound crazy."

"No?" Sakura asked, hope rising in her voice.

"No. It sounds desperate."

"Well, it isn't. I mean, I guess I am a little desperate. I mean, I want you to believe me, and I know it sounds crazy and I'm not sure how I can prove it and I know no one here knows me, not even my parents, and that's making me really nervous because who's going to believe some ninja who just dropped out of the sky and landed in the middle of Konoha, but..."

"Is that what happened? You fell from the sky?" Sakumo cut in, bringing Sakura's rambling explanation to a abrupt halt.

Sakura took a breath, trying to get her mouth under control. Nervous babbling was a habit she had mostly outgrown, but she still occasionally found herself talking way too much without really saying anything when put on the spot. She paused to consider the question. When she had said "dropped out of the sky" she was speaking figuratively. But what did happen?

"I don't know. I fell...but not from any great height. I think it was more like losing my balance. I..." She hesitated. Should she tell them that she had traveled to other dimensions before? Should she tell them how?

"You what?" Sakumo stared at her, waiting for a response. "I suggest you be completely honest and answer our questions completely. Withholding will only give you more rope to hang yourself as the interrogation wears on."

Sakura winced slightly at the grim analogy. Still, he was listening. Maybe not believing, maybe just gathering more metaphorical rope for a possibly real noose if this interrogation didn't go in her favor, but still, listening.

"Can I start from the beginning?"

"No."

Well, all right then. She knew he was just trying to keep her guessing, not letting her put together a cohesive story or recite a memorized cover, but knowing that didn't make it less annoying.

"You were saying?" he prompted.

"I was saying.." Sakura hesitated. "I was saying I've been transported similarly before, but not to the past. To a different dimension. Always the same one, I thought the jutsu was limited to that one dimension, but maybe not. Or maybe it's a new jutsu. There was a Sharingan user on my team. A Mangekyo Sharingan user, who could cast a jutsu called Kamui which transported the target, or even the user, to another dimension."

"But in the past it's always transported you to the same place?"

"Yes."

"How many times?"

"Um, well, me, just once. But... the caster of the jutsu said it always went to the same dimension."

"And he or she knew this for a fact? Had tested it extensively?"

If the battle with Obito and Madara hadn't tested the theory extensively, nothing would.

"Yes, it's been tested. It always goes to the same place."

"So why are you here?"

"I don't know. I just know that before I landed here, I felt that same sensation, that same pull, that I felt when Kamui was used to transport me between dimensions. It felt like the same jutsu, and was cast by the same Sharingan user. I don't know why it's different this time."

"Mm-hmm. And what year were you born?"

Sakura was surprised by the sudden turn in questioning, but answered reflexively, not needing to think.

"And how old are you?"

"I'm twenty."

"And Kakashi is..?"

"I'm not sure. Thirty-four? Thirty-five?"

"And your relationship to him?"

"Ew! What are you saying? He was my jounin-sensei!"

That got him to look up briefly from his notepad before shaking his head to himself as he went back to taking notes.

"The names of the people on your team for this mission?"

"I...I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to mess up the future any more than I already have. If I tell you, that information could be used to...predict...things." Sakura's words sputtered out on her as she tried to formulate a better explanation for her reticence.

"'Things?' Things like who has the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

"Yes, things like that," she admitted. "Or things like who survives until my time, who becomes powerful and successful, or maybe who just got lucky. I probably shouldn't have told you what I already did about Kakashi-sensei, I just didn't know how to get you to believe me. And I just don't know what to say." Sakura stopped, not liking the tone of despair that was creeping into her voice.

Sakumo regarded her in silence for a moment before saying "So why don't you start at the beginning of your story and tell me what happened?"

So she did, leaving out little details like the Fourth Shinobi War and the truce that had been hammered out between the five Great Nations, and how the absence of Akatsuki had left a vacuum that had been filled by rival gangs of missing-nin while the Hidden Villages were busy rebuilding their forces and feeling their way through their new-found peace. She didn't mention that she had been on a joint mission with Suna, who she was pretty sure at this time was a declared enemy of Konoha, to clean out one of the gangs that had been operating both sides of the Fire/Wind border. She just said that her team had defeated the gang they were sent to deal with, but that the enemy had been stronger than anticipated and the fighting had been fierce. On the way back to Konoha they had been set upon by one of the rival gangs looking to stake a claim in the territory. The timing and size of the force lead her to believe that they had played into a trap, that the rival gang must have set the first one up to battle Konoha, and then planned to attack the battle-weary victors when the fight was over, removing one threat and weakening another all in one move. She told how her team had been scattered by the initial ambush, and she had just found some of her teammates, one of whom was dead, the other most likely injured, when she was surrounded by several of the enemy. Fighting ensued, funny feeling in belly, and BAM, here she was.

"Bam?"

"Well, maybe not "BAM", not that sudden. More like a drunk carousel ride that you can't get off of. Or being trapped at the center of a whirlpool."

Sakumo asked a few questions about what he had been told, some of which Sakura wouldn't answer in the name of protecting the future. That didn't stop him from asking the same things again later, sometimes rephrasing the question, sometimes not. He questioned her story extensively, jumping around in the narrative, occasionally taking a note. Then he had her describe in detail what happened once she "landed" here, as he put it, asking for details about what she saw, what she heard, what she did. They went over this a few times before one of the dogs brought over a note and nudged it into Sakumo's hand. After glancing at it, Sakumo made a quick gesture at the treetops and two ANBU dropped down next to him, taking up guard while he walked away to confer with Jiraiya, who had handed little Kakashi back to Tsunade.

Sakura tried not to show her surprise when the two ANBU appeared. She had been so focused on her storytelling that she hadn't noticed their arrival. Now that she was looking for it, she could feel two more very faint chakra signatures hiding in the bushes. She smiled at the two standing before her. She doubted they were smiling back at her behind their masks. Not sure where to look, she opted to scan the treetops, trying not to look like she was looking for anything in particular, or look like she was trying not to look like she was looking for anything in particular. Just a casual glance. Not watching the two men who may be deciding her fate as they spoke, not sizing up her ANBU guards, and certainly not looking at a midget jounin sitting in a future Hokage's lap. She thought back over her interrogation, thinking it had gone well. Her answers were pretty consistent, though some things she had embellished on during the second and third round of questions, some things she had decided she had already said too much. But a certain amount of revision is expected in even the most honest retelling of events, so she thought she had done alright. She couldn't read a thing from Sakumo, though. He asked all his questions in the same quiet voice, and focused on a lot of odd details, like whether or not her team had eaten lunch before being ambushed, and what rations everyone brought. He was trying to trip her up on the small details. So far she didn't think he'd succeeded, but she doubted her interrogation was over.

She risked a glance at Sakumo and Jiraiya, who were still deep in conversation. Sakumo looked tense, standing straight with arms crossed against his chest, as he listened to Jiraiya, who was standing with a much more open posture as he talked. Or maybe he looked tense because she was used to looking at Kakashi, who rarely stood so straight. No, he definitely looked tense. He also looked like he was losing an argument. This was confirmed when he turned and walked back to her, not speaking as he tugged on the ropes binding her, then took a pair of chakra cuffs from one of the ANBU guards, placing them firmly on her wrists.

Sakura rolled her shoulders, causing a slight shift of stance among her ANBU guards.

"Just stretching." she said softly, with a placating smile. Her arms ached from being bound against the tree. Her muscles, having gone from the rigors of an all-out battle to sudden immobilization, were all starting to ache. Without the adrenalin of an immediate threat she was starting to feel each and every bump, bruise, and scrape. She felt a hand on her back push her gently forward, and started walking, letting the guards lead her past Jaraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi and toward a parting in the brush that looked to be a small footpath. Not sure where to look, she kept her eyes on the ground before her. Out of the corner of her eye she say Kakashi squirming in Tsunade's grasp, but she didn't look up, not wanting to raise tension among her captors any further than necessary.

After a few minutes of walking, Sakumo called a halt and one of the ANBU grabbed her arms. Startled, Sakura stiffened in the grip, saying "Hey! What's-" but before she could finish the question she felt herself being teleported.

"- going on?" The question was finished in the receiving room of Konoha's T&amp;I building.


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura came back to her senses slowly.

She was sitting on a flimsy mattress in a dingy cell. She had no sense of time. She could have been sitting there for minutes, or for hours. Her head ached. Her eyes felt dry. She was nauseated. She needed a bath.

Rubbing her face, she tried to remember.

She remembered arriving in the T&amp;I receiving room. The arrival of an old man. A very old man. One of the Yamanaka clan, his long pony tail long gone white. They had given her something to drink. She had to drink it. Even knowing what it was, she had to drink it. Had to drink it willingly, to show she was cooperative. A comrade. A friend.

She had retold her story to the female shinobi in charge of the interrogation. She knew, as she talked, that there was something she wasn't supposed to say, but she couldn't remember what it was. She wasn't sure if she had told them. They asked her questions and she answered. Once she remembered crying, and she didnt know if it was the drugs or the tears that were making her vision so blurry. Kakashi had been there, but he hadn't been able to help her.

No. Not Kakashi. Sakumo. Hatake Sakumo, with two grey eyes and a face just like Kakashi's. Sakumo had watched her interrogation, probably comparing notes in his little book.

What had she said? Too much? Not enough? Did they believe her? What if had she had changed the future with something she said? She thought back, leaning her elbows on her knees and cradling her head in her hands. Before they gave her the drugs, the will-weakening truth serum still used thirty years in the future, she had told them. Told them what she couldn't tell them. The woman had smiled and said that was fine. They had been briefed.

As she picked through the cotton in her head, searching for clearer memories, the cell door clanked open. Sakura turned her head too quickly, stirring up the faint feeling of nausea and bringing it front and center to her attention, only to have it upstaged by a surge in the pounding in her head.

"How are you feeling?"

A guard. Carrying a tray. The thought of food brought her hand reflexively to her mouth as she closed her eyes and willed herself not to vomit.

"No food, just some water. And some medicine. When you can, take it. It will get rid of your symptoms."

Sakura nodded carefully, hand still over her mouth, as she heard the cell door shut and lock again.

...

The medicine helped. She swallowed the small tablet and then took tiny sips of water, sucking on the ice cubes, until the cup was empty. After the first cup she had poured herself another, then another. The ice was gone but the water was still cold. It felt good, as long as she went slowly. She made herself drink it, knowing she was dehydrated.

She was almost done with the last cupful, leaning against the wall on the thin, hard bunk, when the guard came back. One of the Hyuuga clan. Since when did they work T&amp;I? Then Sakura noticed the medic apron. That made more Byakugan was an excellent tool for a medic, though few of the clan chose to pursue that path.

"I see you're feeling better. Time for a bath."

The shower room was small and clinical, rundown but clean, the smell of bleach lingering faintly in the air. Sakura supposed that a stall door was asking too much, but at least she had the small mercies of a female guard and a clean pair of shower shoes. The water was lukewarm, but Sakura didn't mind. She was still feeling weak and groggy and still a bit nauseated, and the cool shower helped revive her and clear her head. After washing she stood under the weak spray for longer than she thought she would be allowed, not paying any mind to her nakedness, eyes closed, just letting the water run. Eventually she turned the water off and reached, shivering, for a towel.

She was expecting to be given a prison uniform but was instead handed a simple yukata, earth toned and nondescript. Her shoes had been taken away with the rest of her clothes, so she put the shower shoes back on for the walk back to her cell.

Instead of being led back the way They had come, Sakura was taken in the opposite direction, down a long hallway and then down a flight of stairs to another hallway lined on one side with strong iron doors. Was this going to be her new cell?

Guarding one of the doors was Hatake Sakumo. When he saw them he came forward and took hold of Sakura's arm while pointedly telling the guard that she was late. The Hyuuga woman just shrugged as she took Sakumo's place as guard. Sakumo pushed open the door, ushering Sakura inside.

Sakura heard the door being locked from the outside, but the noise was forgotten as she registered the familiar figure standing at the end of the room. It was only Sakumo's tightening grip on her arm that kept her knees from completely buckling under her. She stared, mouth agape, for a few seconds, then slowly sank to one knee, knuckles on the ground, head bent. It was another few seconds before she could speak, her voice thick with emotion.

"Sandaime-sama."

...

Sakura didn't think she would be so relieved to see the third Hokage, or so hopeful. Her personal relationship to him was the same as any other student at Konoha's ninja academy, where he had been a frequent visitor. But Sarutobi Hiruzen had been renowned in the shinobi world as a kind man, a fair man, a man who wanted peace and worked hard towards it. In Konoha he was known for his approachability, his personal interest in all of its citizens, especially its soldiers, and his love of children. He led the village by uplifting its members and strengthening their wills at a time when some hidden villages were relying on oppression and martial law to keep order. He was the embodiment of everything Sakura had grown up believing as a child. He was the reason she new she could trust her fellow Leaf shinobi, even now when they thought her an enemy, an assassin sent to kill a child.

She felt a touch on her shoulder and looked up to see that familiar kind face, looking down at her the same way he had when she was a child showing off her flower arrangements, which were never as good as Ino's.

"Now now," he said in that familiar, amused way he had. She could here the pipesmoke in his voice. Smell it in his clothes. "Surely I'm not still the Hokage thirty years from now."

Sakura huffed out a teary laugh. "N-no, sir. But you... you...used to visit the Academy ..." Sakura trailed off, her voice breaking, still not sure what she could say but too overwhelmed to speak anyway.

The Hokage gave her an assessing look as she fought to get control of her emotions. She was suddenly so tired. When had she last slept? She probably still had the interrogation drugs in her system. She had felt stuporous and depressed when taken to the showers, but still tense. Seeing the Hokage, knowing that he was personally overseeing her case, she could feel the muscles in her neck and shoulders relaxing, releasing tension as well as emotions. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry and couldn't stop herself from doing both. She had a crazy urge to hug the Hokage, but Sakumo would probably see it as another assassination attempt.

Sandaime motioned her up and toward a small conference table near the far wall of the room. The two members of the village council were already seated on one side, an empty chair between them for the Hokage. Sakura bowed politely and sat opposite them. Sakumo leaned against the wall at the end of the table, arms crossed.

The presence of the village elders was more familiar to Sakura, though not as comforting. They looked...not young, but definitely younger. Fewer lines on their faces made their expressions look less pinched, but their stern presence still had a sobering effect on her wayward emotions.

Sakura listened as Sandaime and the elders discussed her situation, the elders falling into their usual bad cop roles. Sakura tried to remind herself of what Shizune always told Tsunade when they got under her skin, that the elders loved the village just as much as anyone else and they were just doing their job. Sakura had to suppress a snort at her own thoughts. Just because they enjoyed a good power trip and thought Danzo had done a great job training children to be Root operatives didn't mean their heart wasn't in the right place. _Yeah, right._

They began by reviewing her interrogation and investigation, with Hiruzen bringing up a finding in her favor, only to have one of the other two bring up something against her.

She had stood by her story under interrogation, but her story was unlikely and unverifiable.

According to Inomaru-san, her recent memories had supported her story, but of course memories could be implanted.

A Yamanaka should be able to differentiate a real memory from a false one, but Inomaru was very old and may be slipping.

Inomaru-san was highly skilled in his clan's technique. Then why hadn't he been able to get past the subjects considerable mental blocks?

The mental probe was limited due to circumstance. Then the mental probe results weren't reliable and shouldn't be trusted.

And so it went, the conversation going in circles. Inomaru-san was either the Yamanaka's most highly qualified investigator or a doddering fool, depending on which view supported the elders. Sakura remained quiet as the elders debated around her, knowing how much the council disliked impropriety and having their judgement questioned. She snuck a few occassional glances at Sakumo, still propped up against the wall looking like he was just waiting for them to finish talking and give the order to either kill her or throw her into Konoha's deepest, darkest cell for the rest of her life. He probably already knew their plan. This interview was mostly a formality; surely this had all been discussed before she was brought in.

The discussion moved on to physical evidence. The blood found on Sakura's uniform matched blood on the hitai-ate in her bag, but did it get there when she tried to heal him or when she killed him? Sakumo's ninken had been unable to find an exact match to the scent in the village, but that didn't mean the person hadn't been born yet. Ninja were sometimes sent out of the village for years at a time. The dogs had found a scent similar to Kakashi's on some exploding tags in her bag. Was it the difference between an adult's scent and a child's, or had the scent been forged? They had found the children Sakura claimed would someday be her parents, but it wouldnt be unheard of for an undercover shinobi to claim kinship with someone who bore a physical resemblance. There weren't many people with pink hair in fire country, but that didn't mean they all had to be related.

Sakura tried to remain calm, answering questions and giving input when asked, even when the elders tried to put her on the defensive. Inside, she was in turmoil. She must really be exhausted, because her old inner dialogue seemed to have found it's voice again, screaming at the elders in righteous indignation at the charges leveled against her. She had to bite her lip to keep it from spilling out when the elders once again accused her of being a spy. She couldn't stop it when they accused her of trying to kill a little kid.

"I already told you I would never kill a child! And if that was my mission, I would have just done it. I had plenty of time before anyone else showed up."

"So then you would kill a child, if that was your mission."

Koharu. Of course. She was always the tougher of the two, the one with the weaselly, twisted mind. The one to watch out for.

"No. No, that's not what I said. I said-"

"So you wouldn't assassinate a child, even if it was your mission?" Homura, joining in.

"I...I...No..."

"If your Kage gave you a direct order, you would refuse? Resist? Sabotage the mission? Back out at the last minute?" Koharu back in the game. They were playing her between them, keeping her off balance, not letting her focus. _Old bats._

Sakura took a deep breath and drew herself up in the chair, making eye contact with all three of them before saying firmly, "Konoha doesn't assign those kinds of missions." She held Koharu's assessing gaze as she amended, pointedly, "Not anymore." _Not since your bitch-boy, Danzo._

Koharu met her eyes, unflinching. "You were found within the village walls, a few feet away from one of our best shinobi's son, with a drawn kunai in your hand."

"And I didn't use it," Sakura bit out. "If I managed to sneak into the village, shouldn't I have been able to sneak up on a small child without blowing my cover?"

"You said yourself that you didn't sneak in, you were jutsued into the village and then disoriented. You had no time recover before Kakashi alerted the others."

"I never tried to attack Kakashi. I would never try to hurt him, or any other Konoha citizen. Especially a defenseless child." Sakura looked at the Hokage, then at Sakumo, who was now watching her intently. "I'm sorry I scared little Kakashi. I didn't mean to. I tried to calm him down. I never even approached him. I never tried to hurt him. I don't even know how I got here. I just- I just want to get back to my team."

Sakumo stared back at her, his posture still outwardly relaxed but now there was a tightness to his frame that belied his vested interest in this part of the conversation.

The Hokage was the first to speak. "We're not sure it is possible to return you to...where you came from. We will research the situation and consult with elders of the Uchiha clan, since you think the Mangyeko Sharingan may be responsible for your being here. In the meantime, you will be placed in protective custody. Your chakra will remain sealed. You will have round-the-clock ANBU guard, with Sakumo in charge of your care and acting as your liason."

Sakura barely had time to control her reaction to the casual mention of the Uchiha clan or to register her relief at not being sentenced to more interrogation or possible execution as a spy or assassin, before her mind focused on what else the Hokage had said.

"My chakra is sealed?" Dumbly, Sakura held a hand in front of her face and tried to gather the soft, green glow of healing chakra. Nothing. She couldn't feel it, couldn't see it. She felt a faint ache throughout her body as she tried to draw her chakra, her life energy, through her system. She could feel it react, sluggish and weak. Her hand finally glowed, a faint, sallow light flickering precariously in her palm.

"But...how?" Sealing chakra was a delicate operation. It required high levels of skill and chakra control to place a lasting seal a person's chakra without killing or permanently disabling them, much less leave them walking and talking. Not even the most dangerous criminals in Konoha's prison had their chakra permanently sealed.

Homura sniffed. "Konoha is well known for its sealing abilities." There was an unspoken implication that she should already know that. She did know that, in a way. Historically, fuinjutsu had been a strength of village. The Uzumaki clan had brought powerful sealing techniques to Konoha. Naruto's father had been able to seal Kurama's chakra into both Naruto and himself. Jiraiya had been well known for his mastery of sealing techniques. Now Konoha had few sealing specialists and Suna was considered to be the nation with the strongest sealing techniques.

"Is it permanent?"

Koharu stood and started gathering her things, "It will last as long as we need it to."


End file.
